Strange Things About Jennifer Siebel And Gavin Newsom's Marriage We Can't Ignore

Gavin Newsom, the former husband of Kimberly Guilfoyle (yes, that Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was unrecognizable before her Donald Trump days), and Jennifer Siebel Newsom seem like the perfect couple. They've shared sweet sentiments about one another ("She has a calmness, serenity and sense of decency that's beyond anything else," Gavin told W of his wife) and repeatedly gushed over their many shared interests. "We were blown away - from our love for Africa to our interests in political issues to art and the wine business and college sports," Jennifer told SFGate of how they bonded early in their relationship.

But that doesn't mean there aren't eyebrow raising factors in the marriage of the 40th governor of California and his "first partner," including how quickly they tied the knot. According to Shane Co., the average U.S. couple waits around 30 months before getting engaged; Gavin and Jennifer waited only 14. The two were set up on a blind date in October 2006 and got engaged in December 2007. That's fast considering how much Jennifer's life would change as the wife of a political figure. Plus, both had busy careers (at the time, he was San Francisco's mayor, she was an actress), which may have meant they didn't spend a lot of quality time together early on.

"All I would advise is ensuring you know someone as well as you possibly can before taking your relationship to the next level with gestures such as marriage and moving in together," relationship expert Ben Edwards told The Standard. But while a quick engagement is a potential red flag, there are also a few things between the duo that are downright strange.

In 2007, Gavin Newsom admitted to a 2005 affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of Alex Tourk, Gavin's campaign manager. The relationship occurred while Gavin was divorcing Guifoyle (whose transformation over the years is a sight to see) and Ripper-Tourk was very much married. The affair wasn't a good look for the politician but happened before he met Jennifer, so it's odd she chose to make controversial remarks about the incident.

Speaking to SFGate in 2007, Jennifer suggested Gavin had no responsibility for the affair. "I shouldn't say this, but there are two sides to every story," she said, continuing to add, "If people did research into the scandal ... the woman is the culprit. Alex Tourk is a nice man and it saddens me that his wife did that to him." Jennifer even attempted to justify Gavin's actions, claiming he was under a lot of pressure at the time because of his divorce and the passing of his mom.

Naturally, Jennifer defending Gavin for sleeping with his friend's wife didn't go down too well, and the actress later apologized. According to SFGate, she issued a statement to The Chronicle, saying, "I am deeply sorry that I have made some public statements in the past few days that have hurt Alex and Ruby Tourk and everyone else involved in this issue ... This is a very painful situation for everyone involved and in my case it lead to an expression of frustration that I profoundly regret." However, Jennifer couldn't resist taking another jab at Gavin's former lover. "I have tried to see Ruby's side of the story but unfortunately everyone near to her has stories and says she is bad news," she said.

As strange as Jennifer Siebel Newsom defending Gavin over his affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk was, things took an even more shocking turn when Jennifer was accused of speaking publicly about the incident to promote her own project and career. Jennifer was an actor in 2007, and her movie "The Trouble With Romance" was released around the same time Gavin and Rippey-Tourk's dalliance hit the headlines.

As an unnamed San Francisco society journalist told W, "I think [Jennifer] was very intent on getting press in any way she could at that time for her film." The reporter added, "She understands the value of public relations."

However, "Beach Blanket Babylon" producer and Newsom family friend Jo Schuman Silver defended Jennifer (who dated George Clooney before finding love with Gavin) amid the publicity allegations. "Amongst the people who know Gavin, it was a woman standing by her man," Schuman told W. "She came across as a supportive girlfriend." Jennifer also defended herself to Marin Independent Journal, sharing, "I'm very, very naïve when it comes to the press. My friends say I am way too open and trusting." Gavin clearly took the same stance, as, of course, he trusted her enough to marry her and welcome four children.

Democrat Gavin Newsom has been extremely critical of Republican President Donald Trump and remains open about not disliking his political style. In fact, during a Politico event in August 2025, Gavin quipped, "I've had the privilege of meeting many foreign leaders. They're laughing behind his back." Gavin's repeated outspoken Trump shade only makes it stranger then that some of Jennifer Siebel Newsom's family are such staunch Trump supporters. In 2024, Tom and Stacey Siebel held a Trump fundraiser to the tune of $500,000 per couple. Tom is Jennifer's second cousin once removed, but he clearly didn't let family loyalty get in his way.

Another odd titbit? Until 2008, two years after she started dating Gavin, Jennifer was a registered Republican. That means, much like the red flags in Cheryl Hines and RFK Jr.'s marriage, they had different political views. Jennifer told Politico she grew up in a Republican household, sharing (via SFGate), "I think my father's issue was predominantly a fiscally conservative point of view."

In 2006, rumors hit the headlines that then 39-year-old Gavin Newsom had supposedly briefly romanced model Brittanie Mountz, who was apparently 19-years-old when they started seeing each other. An unnamed newspaper editor told ABC News, "Everyone expects him to have this big political career, but he makes a lot of bad choices. [Gavin's ex-wife] Kim was always putting her foot in her mouth and now he's dating this girl who's barely out of college. He lets his hormones take over."

Gavin claimed to Jennifer Siebel Newsom that he never actually dated Mountz, and Jennifer admitted to SFGate that Gavin told her early in their relationship (via People), "'You're not going to want to talk to me after tomorrow. There's a thing in the paper coming out about me and my 20-year-old girlfriend. I never dated her.'" But that wasn't the strangest thing about his alleged relationship.

The most bizarre part was that Jennifer then repeatedly got mistaken for Mountz. Jennifer took it all in stride, despite her relationship with Gavin being so new. "The whole first month we were dating, everyone thought I was her and were saying, 'We need to card you.' You just have to have a sense of humor about those things," she said. But with Gavin's affair scandal making waves a few months into his and Jennifer's relationship, we wouldn't have blamed her if she hadn't found the situation very funny.